Tag: employability

Prepare for the fair!  

Posted on by Careers Service

With our two-day careers fair, the Employer Showcase, fast approaching, here are some of our top tips to help you prepare for the day.    

The Employer Showcase is happening on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 October, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 pm at Bristol Beacon, Trenchard Street. If you haven’t already, make sure you book your place on mycareer.  

First and foremost, the Career Fair Plus app will be your best friend for navigating the Employer Showcase and making the most of your time there.  The app offers an interactive floorplan, resources to research ahead of time, and filters to view your employers of interest to guide you through your experience.  

Top tip: There are different employers attending each of the days, so we recommend coming along on both days to get the most out of it.  

Once you’ve downloaded the app and got a feel for what to expect at the event, here’s what you can do to get the most value out of the two days:  

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Bristol Connects: How one click of a button solved all my job hunting and career fears

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Avellina, a recent Biology graduate from Bristol and I’m here to tell you how in my final year all my worries about job hunting, choosing the wrong career and job applications vanished and it’s all thanks to Bristol Connects.

With graduation looming, all the responsibilities and changes that were coming up weighed heavily on my back. For the first time in 17 years, my life wouldn’t be structured by exams, lectures and academic calendars. Instead, my life would diverge into an entirely new, unique path as I pursued my first job.

Amongst the excitement, fear and the uncertainty for what lay ahead, one thought routinely replayed in my head: How am I going to achieve my dream career?

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My SME Internship: Lana – Supported Independence

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Lana. I carried out my SME Internship as a mental health support worker at Supported Independence (SI), within their Redcliffe branch.

I began by attending three days of training: the first two days were company-specific training carried out by SI staff, and the third was run by an external company regarding breakaway and challenging behaviour.  On the days of my inductions, I shadowed a few different experienced mental health support workers with clients they supported.

After approximately one week of shadowing, I began working with clients one-on-one. This included: 

  • meal supporting clients struggling with eating disorders 
  • supporting clients with their day-to-day activities, such as trips to the supermarket, appointments, managing finances, and supporting with medication  
  • listening to those who wanted to talk about how they were feeling. 
Lana drinking a cup of tea

Throughout my internship, I learned how to better support clients in a person-centred way, whereby their individual needs were my priority.

I was given the opportunity to ask other support workers about individual clients’ needs in order to make them feel more comfortable with the way I approach them.

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My SME Internship: Yueqi – New Silk Route

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Yueqi.  In the final year of my postgraduate studying Marketing (Msc), I luckily found an SME Internship as a Marketing Intern for New Silk Route.

A photo of Yueqi smiling.

My internship included writing content on social media platforms, such as writing posts to attract customers to enquire about the company’s services and close deals.

Most of the time I worked remotely but I still needed to meet with customers to fulfill their desires and offer appropriate services. 

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How volunteering can transform your university experience

Posted on by Careers Service

Volunteering in your local community connects you with others and creates positive change.

Over the past academic year, the team at Bristol Hub have supported over 180 Bristol students to engage in social action.

Bristol Hub manager Sorcha Young shares the impact that volunteering can have:

Bristol Hub students volunteering

“Social action takes many forms. It can range from donating money to good causes to creating campaigns or running community-based events. I love making a change by getting hands-on and volunteering in my community.”

Niamh Harrington, Bristol Hub one-off Volunteering Coordinator 

How volunteering enhances wellbeing 

85% of Bristol Hub’s student volunteers agreed that participation enhanced their well-being during university. Where there are many challenges to university, such as loneliness, academic pressures and an overwhelming amount to do, volunteering provides a space to escape and connect.

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How to succeed in a graduate programme: top tips from FDM.

Posted on by Careers Service

Ready to start your first job? Graduate programmes are a popular choice for graduates, offering a great way to kickstart your professional journey.

These programmes are designed to prepare you for the job market, equipping you with the necessary skills and knowledge to stand out from the competition.

At FDM, we’ve been connecting people with technology for over 30 years. Our graduate programmes attract thousands of individuals each year, helping them discover exciting opportunities in business and tech.

But what skills are recruiters looking for in candidates? The FDM recruitment team spill the beans…

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3 ways to make the most of your summer!

Posted on by Careers Service

The summer vacation is the ideal time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

But if you’re anything like me, guilt-free relaxation time is near impossible without the nagging feeling that you should be doing something to improve your career prospects.

Here are our three stress-free ways to make the most of your summer:  

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How a City Challenge helped Bristol Walk Fest make strides

Posted on by Careers Service

In April, Bristol Walk Fest partnered with the Careers Service to run a City Challenge, with the goal of getting input from student volunteers on ways to engage younger walkers with their events.

Bristol Walk Fest is an annual walking festival, with events taking place all over the city.  We chatted to Jennifer Graham, their 2023 Event Manager, about their experience.

Jen, can you tell us what Bristol Walk Fest is all about?  

Decolonising Bristol walk

Bristol Walk Fest began over a decade ago and is a celebration of all things walking. The free festival, which regularly attracts over 7,500 attendees year-on-year, showcases the best of Bristol for everyone to enjoy, either individually or with others. 

The festival takes place during May to coincide with Living Streets’ National Walking Month and offers a wide variety of walking activities, personal challenges, self-guided walking routes and discussion events. The (mostly free) walks and activities are for all backgrounds and levels of fitness.  

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Work with us next year!

Posted on by Careers Service

Each year we recruit a team of current students to come and work with us at the Careers Service. They are an integral part of our team and work on a wide range of exciting tasks.

From working face-to-face with fellow students to creating content for blogs and our social media channels, supporting the Bristol PLUS Award and getting involved in employer events, and even helping students develop their entrepreneurial skills – we don’t know where we would be without them!

We are excited to say that applications are now open for next year’s team.

All of these roles are part-time and designed to fit around your studies.

You’ll receive full training and will gain valuable, transferable skills through working in a professional environment, such as teamwork, time management, and communication skills. We have also been told, it’s a lot of fun to work with us!

We are currently recruiting for the following roles:

(NB: All roles will begin in September, so you must be a current student as of September to apply.)

Follow the links to mycareer to find out more and apply. Applications are open until Sunday 18 June 2023.

We caught up with some of this year’s team to hear a little more about their roles and why they think you should apply:

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